BENAULIM: At a packed rally at Dando, Benaulim, the united opposition INDIA Bloc leaders, along with their South Goa Congress candidate Capt Viriato Fernandes, launched a scathing attack on the BJP governments at the Centre and in Goa and accusing both of deceiving the people with empty promises, highlighting the stark contrast between their words and actions.
Giving one such example, Benaulim’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Venzy Viegas exposed the BJP’s alleged double standards in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana.
Referring to how the BJP South Goa candidate had boasted of 6,186 farmers benefiting from the scheme, Viegas revealed a different reality.
“The BJP candidate seems oblivious to the ground realities. Right here in Benaulim, farmers can attest to the true story,” he said. “Shockingly, the Centre has issued notices to 3,000 Goan farmers, demanding them to return the Rs 6,000 they received, along with interest. One hand gives, while the other snatches away, exposing the BJP’s deceitful tactics.”
Opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, unleashed a scathing attack on the turncoat BJP MLAs.
The leaders recalled their brazen attempts to lure the three remaining Congress MLAs to defect to the saffron party. They condemned the BJP’s ‘shameless’ tactics to undermine the democratic process and subvert the people’s mandate through such defections.
Alemao dared Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, who had blamed the Congress for introducing coal to Goa, to challenge the BJP to halt coal transportation, shut down casinos and gambling, scrap the three linear projects, withdraw approval for the Kalasa Bhandura project’s DPR, provide jobs for Goan youth, and stamp out corruption.
Reacting to Dhavalikar's speech at Sancoale blaming the Congress for bringing coal to Goa, Alemao reminded Dhavalikar of former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane's open challenge to the BJP to stop activities detrimental to Goa and its people.
He accused Dhavalikar of advocating defections to cling to power, as the strong anti-defection law has rattled the BJP.
Alemao proclaimed that the Congress has always provided people-friendly governance, listening to Goans’ sentiments and emotions, even scrapping SEZs and the Regional Plan.
Alemao issued a stern warning to the BJP, declaring that Goans are closely watching and will deliver a resounding lesson at the polls on May 7, 2024.
He suggested it was high time for Dhavalikar and his cohorts to pack their bags, as the people’s patience had run out with the BJP’s misrule.
While the other speakers on the dais, including Advocate Radharao Gracias, dissected the BJP’s propaganda machinery and articulated the Opposition’s united stance against the saffron party’s divisive agenda.
Captain Fernandes shared the poignant feedback he had received from voters during his campaign trail.
Captain Fernandes also shared the concerns voiced by voters during his campaign trail.
Fernandes spoke about how people asked about the future of the country if the present government's situation persists. They questioned whether fundamental rights like freedom of speech would be upheld, whether citizens could express themselves without fear, and whether cherished ideals of equality and justice would remain attainable. Their apprehensions, he felt, reflected the growing disillusionment with the BJP's governance and the yearning for a change.
On a different topic, while drawing from his experience as a navy man who faced adversity in the Kargil war and survived a tsunami, Fernandes vowed to continue serving the nation despite all odds.
Fernandes further accused wealthy businessmen from outside Goa, with ties to cabinet ministers, of usurping large tracts of farmland for mega real estate constructions. “Goa realised the importance of these fields during Covid when we depended on agricultural resources from neighbouring States. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant spoke of Swayampurna Goa and sent teachers to panchayats to devise an economic plan, but that very plan was discarded. This exemplifies the disconnect between rhetoric and reality," Fernandes said.
While the CM was criticised by the other leaders for increasing coal handling in Goa despite promises of capping it, Fernandes warned of the detrimental impact of the coal hub expansion. Besides environmental degradation, he cautioned that tourism, a vital sector, would suffer as Goa becomes coated in black coal dust, affecting taxi owners who have been ambassadors of Goa since liberation.
Fernandes also outlined the Congress manifesto, pledging to deliver on promises to aid the youth, unlike the BJP’s failure to provide jobs, leading to soaring unemployment rates. He recounted how former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi enabled Goa to decide its future through the Opinion Poll and granted Statehood while making Konkani the official language, preserving Goa's identity, language, culture, and distinct character.